Thursday, August 26, 2010

Mommy Matters: Maternity Clothing

Since maternity clothes are inevitably around the corner, I thought I'd ask for your assistance in maternity wear dilemmas. Well, not dilemmas really, but I could use all of the input you care to send my way!

I saved a few things, but when I went through my spring purge I did get rid of a number of clothing items that I knew I'd never wear because either a)they were a bit dated; b)I didn't really like them the first or second time around; c)because unless I was carrying triplets I would still never be THAT big again while pregnant. Yes, I'm joking on the last one and I never was HUGE while preggers, but considering the amount of weight I've lost over time it just wouldn't be possible.

Pants are a major concern since mine either seem to shrink while pregnant in the past or I have issues with them not being long enough. I've also found that the over the belly styles or the ones with a panel are just not for me. I'm looking for low-rise, under the belly type.

Shirts I have some, but would like to add a couple more to the closet. I could probably use a dress or skirt or two as well.

8 comments:

I was in a similar spot ... I wrote about it in June of this year, if you want to search my archives. I happened to find a maternity consignment shop in Richfield, MN. Not sure how far away you are, but perhaps a day-trip would be worth your while. Their prices are really good! Otherwise, I found a few T-shirts at Old Navy (not all stores carry maternity, but you can buy online and return to any store). I have purchased jeans through their Web site, because I always have to buy longs, too. I got a cute jean skirt at Motherhood Maternity. I think their prices are high, but this was such a basic item, I knew I could wear it all summer and through the fall, so it was worth the investment. I found a pair of capris at Kohl's. My biggest find was at Gap at the MOA. I just happened to go in there one day, thinking I would walk right out because it would be too expensive, and EVERYTHING I bought was around $10. The most I spent on one item was $18 for a dress. It was an awesome score. But so random. I have bought jeans through their Web site, too, and cords, because you can get them in longs. They are worth the price. They are nice. And as SAHMs, that's what we wear the most, esp. as it gets cold. I haven't bought that much, because I haven't wanted to spend a ton of money on temporary clothing. I wash my clothes a lot, but I'm OK with that.

Well, I don't know if this helps at all, but it's been my experience this time around. I hope you find some items you can feel good in. That's important when you're pregnant, I think =)

P.S. Since you don't expect to get very "big," have you thought about buying normal clothes but the next size up? Perhaps some styles would allow for this?

I have two pairs of the under-belly type pants (the over-belly ones are just not comfortable and they always fall down!) that have a wide band. I love those and they are versatile--I can wear them early on for comfort all the way until after the baby is born when clothes still aren't quite comforatable. I'm pretty sure I either got them at Motherhood or Kohls (if you have a Macy's near you--some of their stores carry Motherhood products so sale+coupon combined makes for a good price--which incidently is the last time I shopped at Macy's!).

As for a bella band, I don't have one but I have a friend who swears by it. She was able to wear her normal skirts (unzipped/buttoned at the top) all the way through her pregnancy just under the belly. So, if you get one, you'll have to keep the rest of us posted!

I was going to suggest the bella band.My favorite was a pair of LuLu Lemon Jesus pants. I wore them from beginning to end. They were pricey but they were worth it cause they were used a lot and I can still use them now. I also liked the below belly pant at first but after my second I converted due to a more sensitive belly from previous pregnancies. So beware of investing in only one style. But the Bella may solve that problem.I am very excited for you!

I liked my bella band, but didn't use it as much as I thought I would. If you'd like...the thing is light so I could just mail it to you and you could borrow it & test it out. Let me know.

With Scooks & Bugs, I bought a ton online through Old Navy's maternity section, but they changed their policy recently and with Twinkle, I couldn't return the items to any store. So I just bought a few basic items from Motherhood Maternity.

Another thing to think about is that the regular shirts in style now worked really for me while prego until about 7 months. Everything in style right now is baggier, and works very well for the first few months post-baby.

I have heard that Gap maternity jeans are an awesome investment if you wear jeans often. I borrowed a pair from my sister and agreed they are very nice.

Enjoy, Sarah!! Happy shopping! And if you want to borrow ANYTHING, let me know and I can send it your way.

I bought most of my clothes at Old Navy and Target. Very reasonable! I found a few things at Motherhood too, but most of their clothes were more than I was willing to spend. I also just wore clothes that were the next size bigger for a long time. That way I could wear them after the baby too!

It seems that many people like the Bella Band. I bought a Be Band from Target from the makers of Bella Band, and hated it. It never stayed up. So you might want to invest in the Bella Band, which is a little more money.

Most of my Maternity clothes are from Old Navy. I have heard pregnant ladies rave about Gap maternity jeans. Leggings are in, so you could always just wear those with an oversized shirt or empire waist dress. I find a lot of shirts in stores nowadays that could be maternity shirts even though they aren't.

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Thirty-Something, At-Home, Homeschooling Mom of four (and one in heaven) who keeps our days steady with my planning and organizing skills. Our family strives for simplicity amid the chaos of every day and we stay bound together through our faith and lots of love.